Memorial Day is Monday, May 25. And the Bay Area has one of the most breathtaking veterans cemeteries in the country: San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio. Rows of white headstones stretching across green hills with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them. Soldiers from the Civil War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan — all here, all remembered.
On Memorial Day, thousands visit. The cemetery holds a formal ceremony. Volunteers place flags. Families bring flowers. And across Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, Daly City, and the rest of the Bay, people remember in their own ways — at graves, at home altars, at kitchen tables, in a dozen languages and traditions.
Here is what a florist wants you to know about Memorial Day flowers.
🌺 What National Cemeteries Allow
- Fresh-cut flowers: Always welcome. Place on or near the headstone.
- Arrangements in temporary containers (plastic, metal): Permitted.
- Glass vases: Prohibited — breakage hazard.
- Artificial flowers: Allowed around holidays, removed after a set period.
- No permanent plantings, no items in the ground, no food or drink.
The best tribute: a low, compact arrangement in a weighted container that will not blow in the Presidio wind. Fresh flowers, patriotic colors, built to last several days outdoors.
🇺🇸 Red, White, and Blue — Built With Real Flowers
- Red: Roses, carnations, gerbera daisies, gladiolus
- White: Roses, carnations, stock, chrysanthemums, lilies
- Blue: Delphinium (the truest blue in nature), hydrangea, iris, blue thistle, eryngium
Bay Area Memorial Day weather is typically 60–68°F with morning fog and afternoon sun. This is actually ideal for cut flowers — the cool air extends their life. Your cemetery arrangement should last through Wednesday easily.
🌿 The Bay Area’s Diverse Memorial Traditions
One thing that makes Memorial Day in the Bay Area different from anywhere else: the diversity of remembrance traditions. In a single weekend we see:
- Filipino families bringing flowers to Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma along with food and prayer
- Chinese and Vietnamese families honoring ancestors with specific flower colors and offerings
- Mexican and Central American families bringing marigolds and other traditional flowers alongside American patriotic blooms
- Japanese American families at the Japanese Cemetery in Colma or remembering veterans of the 442nd Regiment
- Families of all backgrounds at the Presidio, at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, at cemeteries in Oakland, Hayward, and across the East Bay
We build arrangements for all of these traditions. If you need specific colors, specific flowers, or a tribute that honors a particular cultural practice — tell us. We understand that remembrance is not one-size-fits-all.
💬 When You Cannot Visit
Maybe the grave is in another state. Maybe you are remembering someone lost at sea, or whose remains were never recovered. Maybe the person you want to honor is alive — a veteran dealing with things they never discuss.
- Send to a veteran: A simple arrangement, a card: “I see what you carried. Thank you.”
- Send to a Gold Star family: Memorial Day is their worst day of the year. Flowers that say “I remember them too” are always right.
- Place flowers in your own home: A private memorial. On the mantle, by a photograph, on the kitchen table. You know who they are for.
⏰ Order Timing
Memorial Day week is among our busiest. Blue flowers — delphinium and hydrangea — sell out first because true blue is rare in nature. Order by Thursday, May 22 for guaranteed patriotic designs. Same-day delivery available through the weekend but blue options disappear fast.
Walk-ins welcome all weekend. We will have grab-and-go cemetery bouquets and ready-made tributes available.
🌿 The Bottom Line
The Presidio cemetery with the Golden Gate behind it. The rows at San Bruno. The family plots in Colma. The headstones in Oakland. Across the entire Bay Area, this weekend is about the people who gave everything — and the people who carry that loss every single day.
Bring flowers. Send flowers. Put flowers on your table and say a name. That is Memorial Day. The barbecue can wait an hour. 🇺🇸
Browse our arrangements and sympathy flowers. Same-day delivery across the Bay Area — San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City, Burlingame, and beyond. Memorial Day is Monday, May 25.